Natural fiber-intensive Aura EV concept car unveiled

Aura, an all-electric, two-seater concept sports car made with natural fiber composites, was unveiled on Sept. 22 at the CENEX-LCV show at Millbrook Proving Ground. 

Funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) through the Niche Vehicle Network (NVN), the Aura concept car has been designed, developed and hand-built in less than 12 months with the vision to create a low-emission long-range electric vehicle (EV) with sustainability at its core. Natural fiber composites have been incorporated into the car’s bodywork to not only reduce weight but add sustainability to the manufacturing process. Other innovations include optimizing the placement of batteries and motors to provide rear cowling to the wheels for reduced strain on the car, and a high-tech driver display on the steering wheel for high-tech HMI.

For Aura, BAMD Composites (Upper Heyford, U.K.) used natural woven fabric from Bcomp (Fribourg, Switzerland) to manufacture the lightweight body panels, resulting in less mass for the 44kWh (88kWh total) Potenza Technology (Coventry, U.K.) batteries to power and drive the vehicle. Sustainable vegan leather in the interior has also been incorporated.

Astheimer Design (Warwick, U.K.), a design studio focused on delivering mobility solutions for a sustainable future, aimed to develop a pure, simple, iconic, low-drag, efficient design that was analyzed via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) testing. To maximize efficiency and the long range of the Potenza Technology electric batteries and motors, Astheimer added rear wheel covers, air curtains and a large rear diffuser to reduce the vehicle’s overall wake and energy usage.

Aura is powered by a rear-wheel drive all-electric powertrain and is capable of a range of around 400 miles with one front-mounted and one rear-mounted battery. The position of the batteries is said to improve driver dynamics and engagement due to the neutral weight distribution, with the engine bay pack located at the front and an undertray pack bolted to the chassis. The packs can also be easily accessed for maintenance. 

Conjure (London, U.K.) has incorporated a five-inch, self-leveling, circular steering wheel-mounted display for key information such as range and weather. This display works together with the 10-inch touchscreen in the middle of the cabin.

Aura will be at CENEX-LCV Sept. 22-23 and several events in the U.K. To get in touch with the team, contact info@auraconcept.co.uk or call 0207 403 5778 to hear about the full events calendar. Tier 1 hardware or software providers who may be interested can contact info@conjure.co.uk.